Love in the Ward
by dalsibaby
Summary: King Edward the First has died and has left everything to his son Prince Edward on the condition he marries before his 21st birthday. Prince Edward finds love in one of the strangest places. The psychiatric ward. BxE
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Prince Edward, come here right now!" screeches Elizabeth.

I sigh and reluctantly walk to my mother's side.

"Your father has been asking for you the entire morning. The royal physician agrees it would be detrimental to his health if you keep him waiting any longer," my mother says while perfecting the style of her perfect, blonde hair.

"Yes, Mother," I reply politely no matter how rude I inwardly desire to be.

I walk to the King's personal chambers and run a hand through my blonde hair, unintentionally messing it up. I nervously tug on the hem of my navy blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt as I walk through the white tiled corridors. I hear the staccato of my footsteps in synch with the uneven tempo of my heart as I think anxiously about my deathly ill father. I knock quietly on the large, oak door that seems to appear out of nowhere. The sound reverberates throughout the empty halls of the castle. A small, bespectacled man with a wispy, white beard opens the door.

"Prince Edward!" gasps the physician as he slowly beds forward and bows before me.

"Doctor, how is Father?" I ask, desperate for the latest news on my father's critical condition.

Doctor Mitter shakes his head sadly. "Prince Edward, I'm sorry but I believe it is time".

I close my eyes tightly, trying to postpone the tears bound to escape. "Can I see him?"

Doctor Mitter leads me to my father's bed. King Edward the First extends a wrinkled arm towards me, beckoning me to sit beside him on a large bed. I sit down gently as not to disturb the various blankets and pillows. I look into my father's faded blue eyes and grasp his hand tightly; my urgency and desire to spend my last moments with him uncontrollable.

"Son, Edward," croaks my father as he tries to sit up. He falls back down on to his pillows, too weak to hold himself erect. "I love you," he continues. "I know your mother; Queen Elizabeth mightn't always have been faithful to me. I do not hold anything against her for I fear the time is near. Tell her I only did what I feel is correct".

"Father, what do you mean?" I ask, my cheeks reddening and my throat thickening. I blink quickly but the wetness in my eyes escapes.

My father slowly closes his eyes. I lean down over him as he kisses my forehead tenderly. I hold his two, wrinkled hands tightly, terrified that if I loosen my grip I will lose him.

"Father, I love you!" I whisper for what is the last time in my life.

Father breathes heavily, his chest heaving irregularly.

"I love you Edward," Father musters with his last ounces of strength. His hands loosen from mine as I hear his faint breathing cease. Father's expression changes from one of pain and illness to serenity. I hug his motionless body and kiss his cheeks. I understand he's in a better place now; that living inside his disease ridden body was torturous, like an inescapable prison. Doctor Mitter tiptoes quietly to my father's bedside and places his index and middle fingers on the inside of my father's wrist.

"Time of death, one seventeen pm," declares Doctor Mitter as he signs a certificate of death. Doctor Mitter pulls me into a comforting hug. I don't even try to rebuke him for initiating the inappropriate gesture. His small frame and short arms wrapped around my torso are surprisingly consoling. My tears run onto the back of his white doctor's jacket and I back away to reach for a tissue.

"I'll go alert Queen Elizabeth," suggests Doctor Mitter.

I do not object; I continue to gaze at Father's body. My head jerks up as I hear my mother enter. I stand up and walk over to hug her. It may not be what I feel like doing but it is my obligation as her son.

I can see the water in her eyes.

Tears.

My mother, the unfaithful Queen Elizabeth is crying over the death of my father?

My mother an unfaithful whore is mourning over a man she never loved?

My uncaring, lying, joke of a mother is crying over her dead husband?

Rage and fury consume me.

Queen Elizabeth, the woman who caused my father unnecessary heartbreak with all her affairs and relationships, the woman who only cares about her wealth, popularity and gossip she creates.

How could she shed a tear over my father's death?'

How could on single tear of hers compete with the thousands of my late father's?

I pull out of her embrace and back out of the room, glaring at the woman who dares to title herself as a Royal. I run down the many stairs and into the green gardens surrounding the palace. I run faster and faster until my chest hurts and my breath escapes in short spurts. I hear my runners slam down on the gravel in perfect rhythm.

Thud, thud, thud, breathe.

Thud, thud, thud, breathe.

Before father's illness I could never appreciate the beauty of running.

Now, I understand.

I can feel the quietness, the serenity. I am outside running by myself.

No one is ordering me around.

No one is criticizing me.

No one is judging me.

The world is faultless. It's just my body and the gravel. Everything in the world is physical, no emotions can control me. Here, only my instincts reign. People may turn to drugs or alcohol in difficult times but running is my escape. Running clears my mind and places everything in a different perspective when I allow myself to think. When I run, I can remain inside my own bubble forever, a utopia where no one can find me or interrupt me. I run round and round the gardens, following the gravel path to wherever it leads me. I continue running into the sunset.


	2. Chapter 2

I sit in the limousine. It feels different, empty without my father's presence. Although it has already been four months I can still remember his confusing, last words as if he only died yesterday.

"_I know your mother mightn't always have been faithful to me. I do not hold anything against her for I fear the time is near. Tell her that I only did what I feel is correct". _

I watch the buildings fly past, almost as fast as my life has the past few months. Not only did my father pass away but I've been issued with the responsibility of finding a wife before I turn twenty one or the position of King and the entire Masen fortune will be left to my mother. I refuse to allow my mother, my unfaithful, bitch of a mother to receive my father's inheritance. The limousine door is opened by James, my chauffer and I inwardly vow to marry within a year's time, leaving just two weeks to my twenty first birthday. I walk through the electric doors of the rehabilitation centre and begin to think of my brother, Prince Jasper. He was institutionalized into this rehab's psych ward, the very same, newly renovated psych ward I am honoured to be opening today. Jasper and I used to be great friends when we were younger. We were always playing lacrosse and polo all day. Our laundress's were barely able to keep up with our fast growing laundry piles. Sadly, when I was seventeen, Jasper was diagnosed. For years he insisted that he could feel people's emotions but only when these emotions began to control his life was the issue taken seriously. Through my weekly visits I have managed to become friendly with the other psych patients here. There is Emmet who is hospitalized for his abuse of steroids and Rosalie, who has an obsessive compulsive disorder with her own beauty. I enjoy spending time with the patients and the nurses appreciate the extra break. I walk through the white, sterilised halls of the Royal Rehabilitation Centre, my Bally shoes squeaking on the polished floors. I stand at my position behind the silk red ribbon, all the press conveniently facing me. I begin to recite my short speech.

"Royal Rehabilitation Centre is an institution that allows patients in need to socialise and communicate with other young adults in similar situation and undergo treatment at the same time. This newly renovated psychiatric wing includes therapy rooms, a gym and improved, modernised wards. The new psychiatric wing is bound to be a success and I on behalf of the entire royal family wish the Royal Rehabilitation Centre luck and success in all their future endeavours. Congratulations."

I cut the red ribbon officially opening the new psychiatric wing. The press, nurses and patients all cheer and festivities ring loud and clear in the sterilised hospital air. The head nurse, Natasha leads me into each newly renovated room slowly explaining the newly built features and benefits.

Sitting on the bench outside the gym is the first time I see her. She must be new; I have never seen her here before. Her bouncy, brown, waves are pulled back into a tight pony tail, allowing me to view her breathtakingly beautiful face. The girl's cheekbones are high and her lips are proportioned yet still plump. Her dark eyes and eyelashes contrast against her pale skin. She is beautiful but I can see something is wrong. I can see the dark, blue rings obvious on her alabaster skin under her eyes, the faint red lines marked across her long neck like a necklace and the purple blotches imprinted on her skinny arms. Her intense depression is evident in her dull brown eyes.

I can see it in the way she wraps her arms around her torso, as if she is trying to hold herself together, lest she shatter into thousands of pieces.

I see her for the first time and I know.

I know without a doubt that she is the one.

The one that I am meant to share the rest of my life with.

My other half.

My soul mate.

I approach her slowly, my hands held up in front of my torso demonstrating that I mean no harm. As I sit beside the girl, her body jerks in shock and her right hand speeds to cover her pink lips, muffling a gasp definite to escape.

She wasn't expecting me.

Her head turns to the side, surveying me and then back down, her dull chocolate eyes boring holes into the tiled floor.

"Hello, I'm Edward," I say softly as not to scare the girl further. The girl does not respond at all. She doesn't even look at me.

A nurse clad in white walks past. "Prince Edward!" she exclaims. "Oh, this is one of our newest patients', Isabella Swan".

"Hello Isabella," I say softly.

Isabella's head slowly rises and she stares into my eyes.

"Now Isabella, be polite," scolds the nurse. "Say hello to Prince Edward".

Isabella's delicate lips move slightly in the form of a greeting.

"I'd better be on my way," says the nurse. "Isabella, please be polite and talk to Prince Edward".

Isabella doesn't answer.

"Isabella, would you like to take a walk with me?" I ask as soon as the nurse leaves.

Her head jerks in response. I stand up and offer my arm in a gentlemanly manner. She stares at my arm pondering whether it is safe to accept it or not.

"It's Bella, my name is Bella," she whispers.

Bella tentatively reaches out and grabs my hand.

Her hand, her beautiful, soft, smooth hand sends a bolt of electricity right through me.

I feel as if I have just stepped into a furnace.

A furnace filled with glowing red embers and blue flames.

A furnace of overwhelming and concentrated love.

Bella's eyes widen and her eyebrows rise. I know she can feel it too. I lead Bella into the rose garden out the back and think about what I can say to her.

"There is a carnival coming in about a months' time and I would be honoured if you would accompany me there," I suggest.

Bella looks at me and her lips turn upwards at the edges. "I would love that," she whispers.

I smile and close my eyes. That voice. The voice of an angel, it is as clear as the blue morning sky and as fresh as the evening breeze.

"Thank you," I respond. "Would you mind if I come see you here tomorrow?"

Blood rushes to Bella's pale face and she casts her eyes to the ground. I gently reach for her chin and lift her face until it is level with mine. She nods shyly and licks her lips nervously. I look up at the sky and see birds flying and clouds gathering. I feel like I am on top of the world. I feel invincible. I know I am strong.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you guys for all the reviews and favourites! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy! :P

I continue to visit Bella every day. Every time I see her, her beauty grows. Her hair grows longer, the waves more evident and shinier. Her pale skin gains colour and she glows at the sight of me. Her brown eyes are bigger and sparkle with happiness. It fills me with joy to know that I am the cause of these drastic changes.

The timid, depressed, frightened girl I met initially does not exist anymore. Instead I know a happy, fun loving, yet still reserved woman. Every time I see Bella our connection grows deeper.

I discovered that Bella's mother died when she was only eleven and the woman her father remarried is an absolute witch!

I learned that Bella's favourite flowers are freesias.

I found out that her favourite colour is the purpley blue tones that are only found in the early morning sky.

Bella and I both know what exists between us but we are both too scared to act on the feeling. I decided enough is enough and today at the carnival I will ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.

***

I walk through the corridors and outside to the rose garden. I find Bella waiting for me at our special place, the love seat in the middle of the garden with all different coloured roses surrounding us. She is so beautiful, so different, like no one I have ever met before. She takes my breath away every single time I see her.

Bella is wearing a yellow sundress that just skims the top of her knees, accentuating her lean legs. The sleeveless dress shows off her arms no longer covered in bruises. A chunky wooden necklace hides the scars on Bella's neck. Bella's hair is styled in a relaxed up do with gentle curls cascading down her neck. I walk towards my goddess and hand her a single red rose.

"Wow!" I breathe. "You look wonderful!"

Bella smiles shyly. "Thank you, you don't look so bad yourself".

I smile in return and reach for her hand. She grabs it eagerly and closes the distance between us.

With barely a centimetre between us, Bella stands on her toes and whispers urgently into my ear. "Please tell me you feel it as well!"

I lower my head until our eyes are in line. I lean in slowly and gently press my lips to hers.

"I feel exactly the same way". I respond my voice hoarse.

Bella's smiles happily and I truly know I am the luckiest man in the world.

"So this is it?" Bella asks. "Are we going public yet?"

I nod, "I want the entire world to know that you are mine. I want all those guys out there to know that I am the one that truly loves you".

"I love you as well," answers Bella, her brown eyes crystal clear with honesty.

"Let's get going," I say as I lead Bella towards the limousine.

Bella follows and gasps at the sheer size of the black luxurious stretch. I open the door for her politely and sit beside her on the leather seat. The drive to the carnival grounds does not take long and soon enough the limousine parks outside. Of course, the paparazzi are one step ahead of us, already prepared with their cameras and microphones. I step out of the car with Bella and two bodyguards behind us. I answer the paparazzo's questions politely and instruct Bella to do the same. After about five minutes we continue into the carnival grounds, my bodyguards following at a distance. At the carnival we ride on the Ferris wheel and the merry go round. We eat hot dogs and drink soft drinks. Bella tries her hand at carnival games and wins stuffed animals for us to share. In the afternoon I lead Bella to a display of balloons and order her to close her eyes.

I ask the lady manning the stall to hand me the balloon I ordered while Bella took a break at the ladies' restrooms. She puts the string of the helium balloon into my hand and smiles politely.

"Bella, open you eyes now," I instruct, trying to hide the excitement in my voice.

She looks at the balloon floating high in the air, the sun reflecting off the silver plastic. I can see Bella's lips stretching into a wider smile as she reads the royal blue text on the balloon.

Four very simple, yet very important words.

Words that are only said with true meaning and emotion.

Words full of love.

Will you marry me?

Bella bounds into my arms and shrieks, "Yes, yes yes!"

I hug her tightly. "I know I will love you forever and ever. I want to spend the rest of my life with you as husband and wife. I want that certificate with your name and mine printed side be side. I want to marry you".

I lift my hand to show Bella a black, velvet box.

"How about we do this traditionally?" I ask.

I bend down and lean on one knee.

"Isabella Marie Swan, will you please marry me?" I slide the diamond ring out of its place in the box and slide it onto Bella's ring finger on her left hand. As Bella and I lean in to each other to kiss, the crowd that has gathered around us all 'aww' in unison. The paparazzo's camera click away and their microphones are shoved into the faces of unsuspecting witnesses.

I don't care at all that millions of people will see my proposal to Bella.

I don't have a care in the world.

All I know is that I love Bella.


	4. Chapter 4

Once the crowd surrounding us has quieted down we walk hand in hand past the stalls in the carnival grounds, deliberating which ones are worth my measly two pounds.

"Oh, how about that one?" asks Kate as she points towards a stall with a big sign advertising for Madame Alice – The All Knowing Psychic!

"Sure, why not? I wonder if she knows anything that we don't already know?" I say jokingly. We enter through a deep, purple curtain and stand in the dark, waiting for the All Knowing Madame. Fumes of different incenses reach our nostrils and I begin to walk forward, further into the tepee to search for this Madame. In the dark, I can see a faint shadow of a person, growing larger and larger and I scream as her cold hands touch my cheek.

"Ah, the copper haired man has finally arrived! I have been waiting for you," says Madame Alice. Her short black hair and unkempt appearance casts a strange uneasiness in the atmosphere of her tepee. She leads Bella and I towards a small card table, adorned with silk covers and a crystal ball. Madame Alice sits behind the crystal ball and gestures for Bella and I to sit in the two seats opposite her.

"So, what do you know?" I ask, not expecting any valid answer.

"Ah, I See a lot about both of you already, my dear children," Madame Alice responds.

"Really?" Bella leans forward eagerly, enthusiastic to learn about her future.

"Edward and Isabella," begins the psychic. "You both are lucky to have found your destined one early but I am afraid that it is written that one of you will die. The fates have decided and according to the constellations it is irreversible. You are lucky that you have come to me now. Perhaps, you will be able to protects yourselves and change your destiny."

Madame Alice begins to caress her crystal ball and peers into the orb. She mutters in another language under her breath and continues to rub the glass. I laugh under my breath, what a fraud. I'll bet my mother's life that she can't see anything in that oversized, glass marble.

"Ah, I am Seeing something, the Inner Eye is Seeing. Oh, it is coming, it is coming. It's a man, a tall, pale man with blonde hair. His name Jam, Jame, Jamie….."

"Who is it?" asks Bella excitedly, her eyes shining eerily in the darkness of the tepee.

"Ah, Isabella, the Inner Eye does not See upon command! And I See a woman, slender and tall with blonde hair. Her name it is, Gwen Eli, Quentin Eli Beth, Quentin Eliza Beth….Hmm….interesting, interesting, and with an axe as well!" whispers Madame Alice.

Quentin Eliza Beth, could that possibly be Queen Elizabeth?

"Queen Elizabeth and James?" I suggest nervously. All doubts about the psychics experience had completely vanished by now.

"Ah, yes, Edward that is it! How do you know? Are you gifted with Sight?" asks Madame excitedly.

"No," I say quickly, dismissing the claim. "It's just, that's my mother and her lover!"

Madame Alice's eyes widen as she gasps loudly.

"My dear," she says loudly as she runs to Bella and puts her hand on Bella's cheeks, "you are in grave danger! They have a plot, to murder you on a cloudy night, when the moon in unable to seen! James will, he will come with an axe and strike at the stroke of midnight!"

Bella's face freezes.

"No!" I scream. "Change it woman! Change it! See with your Inner Eye and beseech the gods and your crazy stars to change this! Bella won't, she can't, we're to be married, NO NO NO!"

"I am sorry," says Madame Alice, "but I think it would be best if you would leave now. I wish you luck."

She pulls a necklace with a green eyed charm out of her pocket and hands it to Bella. "It is an amulet," she explains. "I hope it protects you".

Bella slips it over her neck and squeezes my hand as we walk out into the brightness of the afternoon sun.

"I'm scared," whispers Bella..

I pull her into the crook of my arm. "I promise I will protect you from my mother and James."

"I don't want to go back," murmurs Bella. "I want to stay with you".

"It will be organized," I swear. "You will stay with me tonight in my room and I will have extra guards protecting the door and more around the bed".

Bella nods. "I love you, no matter what your mother has planned for me".

"And I love you, forever and after that," I pledge.


	5. Chapter 5

**A:N A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! You made me happy when I was sad ******** And if you haven't reviewed, why don't you?**

**I would love to hear your thoughts on this story.**

**Check out my other Twilight fan fiction Massacre. (Not for those who don't like violence)**

I wake up, my quilts twisted around my legs and sheen of cold sweat covering my face. I look at Bella, who is sleeping peacefully beside me, her face betraying no sign of the worrying that was thrust upon us today. I turn my head and look out the window at the night sky. The black velvet sky is blanketed with clouds, blurring the heavens. The moon isn't visible tonight, nothing is, only a blurry, black sky.

I look to my bedside table. The digital clock reads eleven fifty three p.m.

Only seven more minutes.

Seven more minutes until Bella will die.

Seven more minutes that I have worth living.

Seven more minutes until I will take my own life.

Seven more minutes until we will die together.

Seven more minutes until Heaven.

I hear the gentle snore of a guard. He has slid from his erect, standing position and is sitting on the ground, sleeping. I quietly reach for his rifle.

I am thankful that I know how to use it.

I am grateful that the guard has fallen asleep so I can kill James. I finally appreciate every second that I have spent with Bella.

Eleven fifty seven.

I can hear footsteps up the side of castle, growing steadily stronger.

I can hear James cuss quietly as his footing is uneven and he almost falls.

I can hear James's breathing.

I can hear my blood pulsating through my veins in it's last minutes. I lean my head onto Bella's chest so I can hear her heart one more time before I die.

The window creaks open and I can see James climb through, into my room.

I lie down on the pillow and pretend to be asleep.

Rafael tip toes past me, his broad shoulders hunched together and his deadly axe raised high.

The clock reads eleven fifty eight. I clutch the rifle and raise it above the bed covers. I hold it so it is perfectly inline with James's heart. He has no heart I think. He only has a cold stone that pumps not blood, but poison through his veins. It is only death and evil that keeps James alive. James is staring at Bella, a maniacal smile slowly spreading across his face. Only seconds from death, Bella is still sleeping peacefully. She doesn't stir from her slumber. Tonight's sleep will not continue eternally. I will not allow it to.

Eleven fifty nine.

Sixty seconds.

James' body is facing me but his head is facing downwards, staring at his target.

I have a perfect target. His chest is in perfect view.

One bullet in the heart, a clean job.

James lowers the axe, it is heavy and his arms are beginning to tire. It is not raised over the bed any longer but more conveniently for me it is held in midair over the floorboards.

I am about to kill a man.

But, it is a man who doesn't do anything for the sake of humanity.

A man who doesn't deserve to live.

A man who is about to kill the love of my life.

Three.

Two.

One.

I pull the trigger. Nothing happens in slow motions like it does in the movies. Everything happens so quickly, the adrenaline pulsing through me causes me to think and act fast. The bullet flies right into his chest. I watch as blood, slowly seeps through and stains James' shirt. I turn my head to Bella who wakes at the sound of the shot.

"Tonight?" she mumbles. "She meant tonight?"

I nod. "You're safe now."

I know we have barely minutes until guards and security burst through my bedroom door, breaking it open. I quickly hug Bella and steal a kiss. I hold her hand tightly.

Even though we were both bound to die, victims to a terrible murder plot made by my own mother and lover we lived.

Bella was supposed to die only because she loved she and I wanted to marry her.

Bella was supposed to die because she was a threat to my mother's wealth and her throne.

Bella was supposed to die because the stars said so.

We have defeated destiny.

We have won against fate.

Together, as a couple we are victorious.


End file.
